Budget 2026 live: chancellor says scrapping of gas standing charges will save 60% of homes £45 a year
John Healey is abolishing standing charges on gas bills for 23m homes in a move he says will end an “unfair and outdated” practice and save two-thirds of households an average of £45 a year.
Key points
- Judging by all the briefing about what will be in the budget today, neoliberalism is probably safe for another year or so because Burnham and his chancellor, John Healey, have decided not to use this as a moment for big, transformative change, but to instead opt for a more low-risk, every-little-bit-helps fiscal statement.
- John Healey says UK faces ‘difficult moment’ as he prepares to deliver first budget of Andy Burnham’s government You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books Good morning.
- In a video setting the scene for the budget, Healey sums it up with the slogan: “Breathing space today, and fresh hope for the future.” Here is Pippa Crerar and Heather….
Ahead of his first budget statement in the Commons later on Wednesday, the chancellor said he would ask Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, to remove these charges – which are £108 a year for the typical household – next year or as soon as possible after.
Additional details
- There are radical elements in the Burnham agenda, but mostly they will have to wait for another day.
- When Andy Burnham became PM, he signalled that he wanted to end 40 years of neoliberalism.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
Advertisement
Every article behind this summary — 3 articles from 2 outlets
The Guardian WorldOctober 28, 2026, 9:02 AM UTC →
The Guardian WorldOctober 28, 2026, 7:32 AM UTC →
BBC PoliticsOctober 27, 2026, 7:12 PM UTC →
Get stories like this in your inbox.
Subscribe — it's freeOne free email at 6am — your topics, deduplicated, five minutes. No account, no paywall.